Where Eagles Dare...

Feature Friday- Little Gray Pixel

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:52:00 +0000

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Name: Vanessa Morsse

Etsy Shop: Little Gray Pixel

Blog: Little Gray Pixel

Shoe Size: Step on my old size nines, and I'll take ya round. Apparently I attract size 7.5 shopping partners, so I've never had to fight over that last pair of awesome shoes. But I'd claw a fool if I had to!

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I tell stories through a lens and sell them in print form.

What makes your motor run?

My husband of 11 years, staying up late to read the last chapter, unexpected emails, chocolate in any of its myriad forms, tasting the salt of the ocean and curling my toes in the sand, finding a really good deal at the thrift. Exploring, whether it be miles from home or right in my own neighborhood. Cheesy dance movies, Beatles karaoke, Strokes concerts, an ice cold beer. Sleeping in late, holidays with family, winning.
And I'm just getting started ...

Patrick Swayze or Patrick Bateman?

Apologies to Bret Easton Ellis, but Mr. Swayze makes me weak in the knees when he says, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." Plus, have you SEEN "Roadhouse"?

Hawaii or Holland?

Both, please. I've been to Hawaii, and I'd move there in a heartbeat. The beauty I witnessed there was almost too much to take in. It has to be the closest place to heaven on Earth. That being said, Holland is in the top 10 on my list of places I absolutely must visit in this lifetime. I have to procure a pair of large wooden clogs.

John Lennon or John Lee Hooker?

John Lennon has been my hero since I was 15. He was an extremely flawed person, but as an artist he was brave enough to write music that was pure and lyrics that were honest. "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." So true. On a side note, I've affected a Liverpudlian accent on more than one occasion in pretending to be the seventh* Beatle. I'm not very good at it.
*Fifth and sixth Beatles: Pete Best and Stu Sutcliffe

White Stripes or White Zombie?

The White Stripes, only because they are one of the few bands that have mentioned my hometown of Wichita, Kan., in a song.

King Ralph or The Fisher King?

Can you believe I haven't seen either of these films? I guess I can add them to the list of movies to watch when I'm finally done reviewing Yahoo's 100 Movies to See Before You Die. (See that here)

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Have you ever been to a figure 8 race?

I've not had the pleasure, but the videos I just Googled made me LOL. Crashes inevitable! Such an amazing promise! I have made donuts in my car that came close to a figure eight in shape, but there was never much likelihood of a crash because I did those in a vacant high school parking lot.

Have you ever broken any bones?

Nope, knock on wood.

If you could photograph any celebrity,
living or dead, who would it be?

Ooh, a tough one. I'll say Jack Kerouac. There aren't an awful lot of pictures of him, and the ones that exist aren't all that good. I think I could catch him off-guard. All I'd have to do is ply him with vats of liquor and eventually he might start to talk to me about spontaneous prose.

Finish this sentence, "Tommy used to work on the docks,…."

"Union's been on strike. He's down on his luck! It's tough, sooooo tough." That's one of the best of Jon Bon, as I used to call him back in the day. This song, incidentally, holds up.

I smoke cigarettes like a
freight train and drink coffee like I am afraid they will
be outlawed any second. What are your vices?

I'm a shopaholic. And I've never said
no to a free beer or cupcake. Nuff said.
I have managed to kick my nasty Diet Coke habit, though.
You're glad you weren't around me for those two weeks of caffeine withdrawal.

So do you feel like this interview was worth it?

Amazing. I feel like you've reached
down to the depths of my soul and (hopefully) pulled out a pearl.
It's either that or a lump of coal. Ha!

Give us a blurb about your shop, inspiration,
advice for other Etsy sellers, favorite mantra/lyric/quote,
your fave item in your shop, tell us to fuck off,
whatever you want.

Before I put something in my shop I put it through a rigorous test.
Is it colorful? Does it have energy? Does it bring back a memory? Is it pretty?
I want to transport you to another place or time, to bring a smile to your face, to make you say "yes, that's it."
If I've done that, I'm successful.
If not, there's always another photoshoot.
And, from the wise lips of Benjamin F.:
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

Catching Up.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:21:00 +0000

Whew!
Where, oh where, is all of my time going?!
Thankfully, our house is the cleanest it has
been in months, and the hubs and I actually got to spend
some time together..and it wasn't filled with conversations
about the art opening.

The art opening went great!
Over a hundred people were in and out the door
over the three hours, and the hubs sold 9 pieces!
The show runs a month, so we are hoping even more
will fly off the walls.

Needless to say it was a success, and we couldn't be happier!

Here are some pics from the night..
how cool is Ultra Pop that hosted the show?!

See everyone tomorrow for Feature Friday!!

Feature Friday..

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:26:00 +0000

Hey everybody!

Feature Friday will be back next week,
as we are in the throes of the hub's art opening tonight.

Since the Feature Friday artists all have to submit a photo
with knuckle tattoos or a mustache,
I will contribute this photo of me to honor the Featureness
and all its glory..

Here is a sneak peek right before the show opens so
you guys can check it out!

Rise Above watercolor by John Massie.

Have a great weekend!!
See ya on Monday!

The Business.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:55:00 +0000

The hubs and I pulled a late night and finally
got our business cards made.

We decided to make them all by hand, because
when we tried to use our artwork and print them,
I had a fight with Photoshop.

Photoshop and I aren't on speaking terms right now
and I hope we can work it out soon.
As of right now, though, I am not apologizing.
I meant what I said.

Without further ado, here they are.
Hand stamped on watercolor paper, it took us forever.
We had an assembly line going with Heart blaring in the background.

Hope you like them. We love the rawness of them,
and the fact that they look pretty punk rock.
Woo!

Oh, and a couple of things.

If I haven't contacted you yet for Feature Friday,
it is because the questions take quite a bit of time
to work up, and I promise I will get to everybody!

I had people commenting on the blog, emailing me,
and sending convos, so I am just trying to organize it all.

Additionally, I received an email asking if I take sponsors
for Where Eagles Dare, and really, I don't know the answer
to that yet..
I would only want sponsors that were other artists, bloggers,
not really wanting anything that is not related to what we like
and do here..
Do you think people would be interested in that?
Do you have sponsors on your blog?
Any advice?

Escritor.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:20:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone for all of the good vibes and
crossed fingers!
I received word this weekend that I was hired on
as a writer for one of the websites I sent my portfolio
into!!

I figured I might need some inspirational
items for my new job, so I
turned to Etsy.

If you have been a follower of my blog for awhile,
you know how much I love Charles Bukowski.
So I remember to write everyday, and to honor my
hero, I have a huge portrait of him
tattooed on my ribs.

I need this Limited Edition Bukowski's Women Linocut Book
by BrandyLevensArt.

It is an artist interpretation of all the lovers he writes
about in my favorite novel, Women.

Extra, Extra!!
This bracelet is seriously awesome.
She recycled newspaper to make this awesome cuff.
Who knew that newspaper could be this pretty?

Newspaper Morphed bracelet by Giandpindo.

And now that I will be writing full time, I can use my
typewriter for something other than ransom notes.

Oh, how I love these from Girlscantell.

One of my favorite quotes by Bukowski:

"I don't know about other people , but when I bend over to put on my shoes in the morning, I think, Christ-oh-mighty, now what?"

Who is your favorite author?
Favorite quote?

Feature Friday- The Feathered Elephant

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 04:23:00 +0000

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Name: Samantha

Etsy Shop: The Feathered Elephant

Shoe Size: 8.5 wide, 9 if they don't have wide.
My husband calls them my "Freddy Flinstones."
And yes, I still married him.

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I sell one of a kind fascinators, hair clips, and headbands. Combs coming soon! I love to use feathers, found trinkets, upcycled buttons, flowers.. pretty much anything that I find interesting.

What makes your motor run?

Family and friends, my uber hot husband
of course, learning, creating..I enjoy a good steak and baked potato, too.
Looking at a mix CD in my stereo right now, it would have Dr. Ralph Stanley (Bluegrass, Yee Haw! I'm a Kentucky girl) to Beastie boys to Motorhead to Gangstarr to The Clash...I like it, I listen.
Yard sales, home improvement, gardening, I'm an HGTV whore..
I work third shift, so coffee really makes my motor run!!!!

Michael J. Fox or Samantha Fox?

I wanna give a shout out to my bro, because today is when his 1st son is coming into the world. I found the issue of Playboy with Samantha Fox on the cover in my bro's room when I was 14, so in honor
of him, I choose her. Sorry, Alex P. Keaton.

Mike Ness or Michael Stipe?

Duh!! Mike Ness.

80's fashion or 50's fashion?

Out of these two, 50's, but I prefer early 60's..Mad Men all the way, baby.

The Breakfast Club or The Joy Luck Club?

The Breakfast Club. I'm all about psychological development through teenage angst.

Zooey Deschanel or Coco Chanel?

Coco Chanel.
"When leaving your house, always remember to remove one accessory." -CC

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What is your must have accessory for everyday?

Earrings, all way. If I don't have earrings on,
I feel like its bad luck. I am completely frazzled if I realize I have left the house in a hurry without them. I have even started to keep an extra pair
in my bag, just in case. I refer to them as the "Back Up Cobras."

How do you know when its been a good day?

1. When I see my husband's smiling face.
2. The bills are paid.
3. If I didn't have to use my AK.

A burglar breaks in your house, and the only weapons in reach are your craft supplies..
How are you going to stop him?

As per the previous answer, didn't you just read that I have an AK-47?...
I keed, I keed.
I would take my uber sharp, pointy scissors and slice his hamstring, then proceed to take my crafting wire and choke that fool out.

Quick!! Open your purse.
What are the first three items you see?

My ten year old Levi's red denim wallet, keys, and Oral B dental floss.
If anyone dares to look in the side pocket, they would find my
retainers, along with my backup tampons, earrings, and Splenda.

If I am going through the library at your house, what I am going to find?

Currently, my $375 (ugh!) collection of grad school books that I just purchased.
They are all on the topic, or related to, behavior analysis.
My leisurely read at the moment would be The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement.
I usually like to recycle my books, either lend them out or trade with friends.

So do you feel like this interview was worth it?

Yes! Generally speaking, people who
have a normal level of self esteem usually don't mind talking
about themselves. I guess that totally applies to me as well.

Give us a blurb about your shop, inspiration,
advice for other Etsy sellers, favorite mantra/lyric/quote,
your fave item in your shop, tell us to fuck off,
whatever you want.

My shop is really in its infancy,
so I am kind of on this rollercoaster
ride with other newbie Etsy sellers..
When it comes to sales.. when it rains, it pours, and when its dry,
it seems drought striken for awhile.
My favorite quote would be
"What is not eternal, is nothing"..
which is something that my great aunt, Sister Mary Prisca,
said to me often. It has always struck a cord.
I find comfort and inspiration in those words,
and it pretty much sums up how I live my life.

And, of course, "Do NOT drink the Kool-Aid".

Itty Bitty.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 02:42:00 +0000

I started a new project .
It may be TMI for some,
too sappy for others, but hells bells if you like it,
follow me on there. I am not sure exactly
where it is going to go..

It started out as an anniversary gift for the hubs
that I wanted to surprise him with, but now
I think its something I want to do 24/7.
Let me know what you think, click the banner to
check it out.

I won some more giveaways,
all very cute, tiny items.
I love anything that is "mini", so I couldn't
be more thrilled!

1. Mini Journal from Move The Needle
2. Hand Drawn Buttons from Oh!! I like that!! Blog
3. Skeleton Key Necklace from MAB Jewelry

In honor of my new project and giveaway wins,
I dare you to post your favorite cheesy love song,
OR more difficult, post a song that has any lyrics
about small things. (Any synonym for small will do.)

I'll go first.
Love song: Baby, Baby by The Vibrators
(Yes, the word Vibrator was on our
wedding programs..hahahaha.)

Mini song: Tiny Dancer by Elton John

GO!

Feature Friday- My Pretty Zombie

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:07:00 +0000

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Name: Andrea Evans, you can call me Mrs. Evils (if you're nasty)

Etsy Shop: My Pretty Zombie

Blog: I Am Only A Small Amount Of Evil

Shoe Size: 7 ish...I can never find anything good left in the clearance section

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I test pee for drugs for a living...
and I repaint Barbies to look like Fabulous Zombies.

What makes your motor run?

My super hot husband, zombies,
French champagne, Asian and Italian horror, smoking, taxidermy,
make up, making up new swears ( an example: "I'm calling biscuits
and gravy on yer ass!"), coffee, blogging about pee, getting tattooed,
anything sparkly, the usual.

Frank Black or Jack Black?

Jack Black has got great eyebrows,
but I've been a Pixies fan since high school.
If I had to choose only one band to listen to forever it would be them.
Okay, and throw in Frank Blacks solo work and the first
Breeders album, and then I'd be happy.

Argento or Fulci?

Fulci hands down...I mean Zombie?!
Get the eff out! A zombie fighting a shark AND an eyeball getting
impaled on a splinter? What more could a girl ask for?!
As a side note, I have not actually SEEN the above mentioned eyeball
scene as I am unusually terrified of anything eyeball related and have
to cover my face every time. My husband always says "oh its over, its
okay to look now" but I know better. I refuse to fall for his trickery.

Chocolate Malt or Malt Liquor?

Malt is so weird. Is Cisco a malt liquor?
I think I had that once.

Deebo or Devo?

Devo....I was such a new waver as a child.
I had the asymmetrical hair cut and lavender high top converse.
I still love those guys and will rock the hell out if I hear "Peekaboo".
I was beside myself when Paul started playing guitar in a
new wave cover band. Except they mostly play on week nights and I'm stuck
pouring pee. That part sucks.

Carrie Bradshaw or Carrie White?

I've never seen Sex and the City,
but occasionally Paul is watching it when I come home from work and
then he's all, "What? It was just on, I wasn't REALLY watching it!"
I do love shoes, but can't really relate to the girlfriends thing.
Carrie White is more my style. I even made a custom Carrie doll for my friend AgonysDecay.

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Grossest object you ever found in testing pee at work?

I see so much gross stuff on a
daily basis that you really get immune to it. Blood, hair, a dime,
bleach, some sort of semi solid waxy substance...you name it and
I've seen it. People are very crafty about trying to pass their
drug tests and most assume that my job is done by robots.
The grossest thing ever was a giant insect leg that fell out
of a specimen as I was pouring it. It was at least 2 inches
long and covered in tiny bug hair. I'm guessing it was a cockroach,
but I guess it could have been some sort of tarantula. I shudder
to think about how it got there. Of course I didn't have my camera
that day or you KNOW I would have blogged about it!

First tattoo? Favorite tattoo?

My first tattoo was Leo Zuleta
tribal flash that I got on my lower back. What the kids refer to
as a "tramp stamp". I was 17 and it was 1992. I always knew that
I was going to be a tattooed person. My dad was a prison guard in
the seventies and used to show us the confiscated prisoner flash.
I was hooked at an early age.
My favorite...that's a little tougher...I have a jackalope with a
skeleton body and a wheel on a stump for a leg. I'm very fond of
that one. Also I think the pink magnolias on my collarbones are
pretty tuff.

You win a contest to work with any
horror movie actor/director/producer/special effects
person, how do you choose and why?

Tom Savini. If I won the lottery
and had nothing but time and money, I would enroll in his make up
school and happily spend the rest of my life creating horrible icky
crap to display around my house. I get so excited when I see him
in cameos in movies.

Your husband buys you a Dolorian
for Christmas. What band/singer, (living or dead its a freakin' time machine!),
are you going to see?

I think all of my faves are still
alive and well, but for the sheer bad-assery of it, I think I would
check out Elvis' 1968 comeback special, cause that black leather suit
is Hot!

Did you ever jam out to the song "Informer" by Snow? Be honest.

As a matter of fact, very recently!
My friend Erin did Blogathon this year and did an awesome karaoke rendition.
It was pretty late at night though
and I had to jam out very
quietly in the other room so I didn't wake Paul up.

So do you feel like this interview was worth it?

Hell yes! Thanks for letting me hang out with you cool kids!

Give us a blurb about your shop, inspiration,
advice for other Etsy sellers, favorite mantra/lyric/quote,
your fave item in your shop, tell us to fuck off,
whatever you want.

I've been on Etsy for a year now, and its been so great! I love meeting all the amazing artists and having fans and stuff. I'm so happy when my Zombies go to their new homes. I love the dioramas the most, I spend so much time trying to figure out exactly where to position all the tiny crap. Nobody cares as much about Barbie shoes as I do, I've found. I'm hoping to branch out this next year into more areas of zombie goodness, so check me out.

Old School.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 03:43:00 +0000

The hubs and I try to go to a horror convention
once a year.
Try to say horror convention really fast..
I specifically slow down when saying this because people
get the wrong idea as to what the hubs and I are shopping for.
ZOINK!

Our house is loaded up with masks, 8 X 10 photo autographs,
underground slasher films, and oh the toys..
sorry, babe, the "collectible figures".

This is just the tip of the iceberg..

I used to create my artwork in the room pictured above.
I look back on old sold pieces and realize just how
inspirational and important your environment can be.

Here are some of my mixed media pieces from about
five years ago. I am considering bringing this
line of work back with some twists and turns.

What do you think?

This was for a movie themed art show..
I chose Deliverance. Now that, my friends,
is a scary ass movie.

And here are a few pieces from my solo show.

Rhinestone Deadboy

Pit of Snakes

Shameless

Please forgive the quality of the last three pics,
I had no idea how to photograph pieces back then.

Little known fact:
Even bad asses cry sometimes during scary movies.
The frickin' Exorcist.
YIKES!

What scary movie inspires you to pee your pants?

Feature Friday- Ponder and Stitch

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:56:00 +0000

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Name: Amy

Etsy Shop: Ponder and Stitch and Myhools

Blog: Ponder and Stitch

Shoe Size: 8

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I'm a mad stitcher and sell sewn and jewelry items inspired by all things vintage.

What makes your motor run?

A good book that puts me right into a dark alley in Victorian London. Thrifting. My guitar.

Thrift store or Anthropolgie ?

Thrift store, no contest!

Gary Oldman or Gary Coleman ?

Hmm... John Krasinski. Oh, he wasn't a choice? Ok, Gary Oldman

Cypress Hill or Notting Hill ?

Oh, Notting Hill, definitely! But NOT the movie ;)

Charles Dickens or Charles in Charge?

Please, Charles Dickens is my boyfriend.

Color Me Badd or INXS ?

INXS.
BUT I will admit that the very first concert I ever attended (in junior high) was opened by Color Me Badd!! But come on, the tickets were free (won on the radio by a friend) and I was 12! Oh, man, I'll never live that one down.

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Your thoughts on Hyper Color t-shirts, amazing invention or disgusting?

I'm not gonna lie. I was a fan. I think after those came my very favorite 'button your fly' shirts. Ugh!

When you are playing your guitar,
do you ever fling your hair around and pretend you are on
MTV Unplugged : Ponder and Stitch?
What songs do you play?

haha no!
I'm a mellow acoustic girl all the way! My favorite song to play
is Blackbird, I'm a sensitive soul (really!).

Is there any celebrity that you would challenge to a cage fight and severely bludgeon them if given the chance?

Hmmm..no, I don't think so. Plus, any celebrity -even any celebrity's baby- would have no trouble breaking my twig arms in two.

Finish this sentence, "You gotta know when to hold 'em..."

uhhhh drawing a blank here..

Where Eagles Dare finally gets the recognition it deserves with a book proposal, and after I buy some gold fronts
for me, the hubs, and our dogs, I give you $5,000 to take a trip anywhere. Where ya gonna go and why?

Oh, London, for sure!! I've been dying to go my whole life. I don't care if it's dark and rainy or whatever. I'm getting there one day, and I'd especially like to visit Highgate Cemetery!

So do you feel like this interview was worth it?

Hell yes!

Give us a blurb about your shop, inspiration,
advice for other Etsy sellers, favorite mantra/lyric/quote,
your fave item in your shop, tell us to fuck off,
whatever you want.

Hmm..a bit of wisdom from me to you: don't draw letters on your right hand when you are right handed. If you do, it ends up looking like you drew letters on your right hand with your left hand. You just can't come back from that.

Me, me, me!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:25:00 +0000

Sorry I haven't been posting as frequently,
but it has been madness in the lair
of Where Eagles Dare.
I often wonder where all my time is going!!

I was tagged by quite a few peeps as of late,
most recently by April Ink
and Mrs. Evils
and it requires me to tell you 10 things about myself.
Lucky you!

Here goes:

1. We got engaged at the State Fair. Yep.
We also don't have any cutesy engagement photos,
we went balls to the wall and captured the event the
best way we knew how.
What good is a fair if you don't
leave with your hands sticky from a funnel cake,
clutching an old timey photo and heavy metal mirrors?

2. I hate the word moist. HATE it. I gag if someone says
it around me.

3. I am sans one organ. I had my gallbladder yanked. I have a
picture from during the surgery if you want to see it.
Its awesome.
The mean old doctor wouldn't let me keep my rotting part in a jar.
Hmpf.

4. My husband and I often go to the yearly event in town
which is literally called, "The Machine Gun Shoot".
A dollar a bullet. AWESOME!!!!!!!
Look at my hubs...

5. I am working on writing submissions because even though I do
all of our promotion, keep up the sites, all that jazz, I feel
like I need to contribute some cash-ola to our household.
Freelance writing from home..perfect.

6. I constantly have dreams about my teeth falling out and/or them
being loose or broken off. The hubs has never had one of those
dreams, and sometimes I think he doesn't believe me.
So I officially ask each new person I meet if they have them
to prove it. Do you have them?

7. I have an obsession with calling people/animals "Cute Farts".
Mothers of three in grocery stores do not like old, crazy
tattoo ladies calling their children that.

8. At least twice a week someone yells at me across a parking lot,
"Yo Shorty, What up with 'dem tats???"
Ignored. I just want my damn coffee.
I don't even know what the hell that is supposed to mean.
Oh, and "tat", "tatted up", "slinging ink", "tattoo gun"
(guns shoot bullets, tattoo MACHINES do tattoos) all
drive me equally as crazy.

9. Whenever I get pulled over in Ohio, I have to show my hands
first, then slowly exit the vehicle. Yep, my license says
"Approach With Caution." That is a story for another time.

10. I was a dancer for a looooooooong time. And I don't mean
like a "Let's all welcome Candy to the stage" kind
of dancer. Like ballet, tap, and jazz.
Oh, those bangs!!!

That's a wrap!

Because I have to tag some peeps,
I decided to choose my last three people
that joined this blog as followers.
Sooooo... you've been taggity tagged.

See you guys tomorrow for Feature Friday!

A Magical Win.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 06:08:00 +0000

I recently received a package alllll the way from
a little fox hole across the sea.
The package was sealed with the cutest
red strip with white polka dots.

I was opening a parcel from another
world, where little girls are imprisoned
and outcasts, and they smell like
peppermints and sadness.

A little fox loved and cherished these
girls, sending them often to faraway lands.
These houses became alive with joy and surprise
when lovelies with names like Boo, Zilly, and Lola
came to live with them.

In other words, I won the most freakin' amazing
giveaway from one of my favorite artists on Etsy,
The Little Fox.

Here are the goods I won..she even framed the print,
and I won the giveaway on my birthday, so she
hand wrote that on the card! Such a sweetheart.

Protection Print, click the pic to go
to the listing, you just have to read the description.

And here are the lovely magnets made of some of her other prints,
that I received too!

She just released a set of paintings that not only
am I dying over, the set helped inspired my
black and white
and red and black necklaces in our shop.
Look at how wonderful these are, she and I share a love of
Mr. Tim Burton. I love it!

Thanks Little Fox!
(If I lose a limb for winning these,
I blame your cute little face.)

So, what is YOUR favorite Tim Burton movie?
I'm a die hard Beetlejuice fan.

Feature Friday- The Stapelia Company

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:00:00 +0000

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Name: Jessica Beebe

Etsy Shop: The Stapelia Company

Blog: Stapelia, Life With A Dark Twist

Shoe Size: A delicate size 10... who am I kidding? A Yeti size 10.

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These days I keep myself busy passing people on the shoulder in traffic, collecting pull-tabs off soda cans for charity, and watching corny horror/sci fi movies that I then judge but love anyway. I am also a photographer, an illustrator, and a painter who sells on Etsy, shows in galleries and whips a tent out every once in awhile for an art fair. I sell dark, gritty, urban photography, carnival/circus themed goods and of course, whatever else inspires me.

What makes your motor run?

Redoing, reviving, recreating and recollecting old worn out and forgotten images, items, ideas and aesthetics and turning them into something I can use myself, sell to others or give away.

Fashion week or Comic-Con?

Fashion week?! Jesus. Comic-Con all the way.
I’m planning a trip to go in 2011.

Karloff or Lugosi?

You know, I want to appreciate the chameleon quality of Karloff,
but I can’t resist the drug addicted Hungarian-inflected charisma of Lugosi.
Plus, Lugosi’s official website is better.

Footloose or Flashdance?

Flashdance, because Jennifer Beals is hot.

Halloween or Christmas?

Halloween, hands down.

Brian Adams or Addams Family?

Addams Family; the TV show, the Chas Addams cartoons AND the movies... both of them.

:

If you were a performer in a circus sideshow,
what would be your specialty?

Anyone whose seen my work knows I’m obsessed with the circus and the sideshow. It’s hard to narrow it down, but I think I’ll go with sword swallower or fire eater. (Basically eating dangerous things I’m not supposed to.)

First LP/CD/Tape/8 track ever owned?

I’m proud to say my first tape was Beastie Boys License to Ill and ashamed to say my first CD was the Ghost soundtrack... THAT one was obviously a gift.

Do you know a little diddy about Jack and Diane?

Yes. And I also know that Mellencamp needs to put out a CD that I want to listen to already... it’s been years.

If you could give yourself any badass nickname that
everyone would call you from now on, what would it
be?

Charlie... like that perfume from the 80’s.

Who would you pick to star as you in a Lifetime movie about your existence?

If Valerie Bertinelli, Judith Light, Patty Duke, Terri Hatcher, Linda Evans and Meredith Baxter Birney were all busy doing OTHER Lifetime movies I’d go with Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) hands down... because she’s hilarious.

Have you ever gotten busy in a Burger King bathroom?

God no... too greasy.

So do you feel like this interview was worth it?

It was SO worth it.

Give us a blurb about your shop, inspiration,
advice for other Etsy sellers, favorite mantra/lyric/
quote, your fave item in your shop, tell us to
fuck off, whatever you want.

Here’s my blurb:
Stop on by The Stapelia Company if you’re looking for unique beautiful artwork with a dark side inspired by carnivals, full moons, fall breezes and incense.

To those other Etsy sellers out there; it all comes down to putting your stamp on the world. If you do that, you will be successful. There’s always room for a new voice.

Favorite quote: By the pricking of my thumb, something wicked this way comes... William Shakespeare

Favorite item(s): My Cigar, Creeper & Dark Circus and Sideshow series of performer and sideshow art photos.

Trashy Treasure.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:12:00 +0000

On or around my birthday every year, the hubs and I
throw a Trailer Trash Bash.
It is exactly what it sounds like.
We dress up as trashy as possible.
We drink PBR.
We put a slip n' slide in the front yard that guarantees
one of us will end up with a horrifying injury.
Usually we are so drunk that it doesn't hurt until
morning anyway.

Everyone goes all out.
Two years ago, our friends showed up in a monster
truck.
Yeah, that's right.
They found a monster truck and drove it onto our
front lawn, while yelling "Yee-Haw" and waving sparklers
out the window.
Our neighbors love us.

Here is what the hubs and I look like on a daily basis.

And then THIS is what you will see at our party.
I swear this is us. I SWEAR!

1. Rhinestone bedazzled Playboy hat.
2. Confederate flag bikini top.
3. A shirt showing how insecure I am and how
EVERYONE is jealous of me.
4. Poop scoopin' acrylic nails.
5. A leather bag sun tan.
6. White shorts and platform flip flops that
I rolled around in the dirt with to make them
look extra trashy.

For my tan, I used some weird product called
"Airbrush Legs". It is supposed to simulate
you wearing pantyhose when you spray it on.
Um, what?
Do people really use this?
It covered up all my tattoos on my arms, chest, legs and back,
so I was just rockin' a sweet trashy one next to my navel.

Here is the hubs.
He took on the persona of a roofer from Florida
that was down on his luck from losing at the track.
This will probably be the first, and the last time,
you will ever seen him in a mesh shirt.

All this trashiness made me look on Etsy last
night for items that were ready for garbageland,
and some sweetie pie turned them into a treasure.

1. Birch purse from lynncyrart
2. Letterpress Mini Notepad from amyb13
3. Brown Bird Bittersweet from BirdWingProductions
4. Walnut Necklaces fromrecycledrings

Have you turned any trash into treasure lately?

I, Officially.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 21:05:00 +0000

I, officially, hate when my teeth run over a wood popsicle stick.

I, officially, am a crazy dog lady.

I, officially, am addicted to cigarettes.

I, officially, am the biggest monster asshole in the morning.

I, officially, love coffee almost more than my husband.

I, officially, was supposed to tell all of you something today.

Hmmm.

What was it?

Ohhhhhhhh!

I, officially, am selling hand painted jewelry on Etsy as of
this afternoon. :)

I am listing one piece an hour just to spread it out..
check it out!

Anybody that wants to tweet and link, feel free.
You know I love ya more than my luggage.

Click the pic to go directly to the shop and see it all!

I, officially, want to know what you guys think!

Feature Friday- Dismantled Fashions

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:41:00 +0000

:

Name: Emily

Etsy Shop: Dismantled Fashions on Etsy

Blog: Dismantled Fashions : Sass, Sin, and Fashion Design

Shoe Size: Haha, aw man! I'm a 10... :(

:

I make kitschy rockabilly & psychobilly women's clothing for anyone brave enough to wear them. I swear one of these days I'm also gonna start my line of men's western shirts too. One day.

What makes your motor run?

Fast music, cheap booze and good times. Not necessarily in that order!

Las Vegas or Nashville?

Nashville, of course. I'm a southern girl and I love my Tennessee.

High Heels or Mary Janes?

High heels. Patten black, preferably

Jameson or Wild Turkey?

Of those two, Jameson.
But every good Virginia girl knows Rebel Yell is the best.

Love me Tender or Rock me Amadeus?

Love me Tender! Elvis is my main man.

'32 Ford Rat Rod or '55 Chevy ?

Chevy, always.
I always said you're either a Ford or Chevy person.
Though '57 is my favorite.

:

If you were a performer in a burlesque revue,
what would be your stage name?

Funny, I'm thinking about doing burlesque! I have no idea yet though. I like using Monroe as a last name though. And some saucy old timey first name.

Do you have a "junk drawer"? What is in it?

I don't, but I have a junk box.
It's got all my dorky mementos and things that I want to keep safe.

Finish this sentence: We're caught in a trap, I can't..

Walk out, because I love you too much baby.
We can't go on together, with suspicious minds (with suspicious miiiinds!)

If you could scalp any celebrity (living or dead) and wear their hair forever,
who would you slice and dice?

Elvis. I think I'd look pretty amazing like that. But only if I could get the circa '56 hair.

Favorite record to jam while sewing your ass off?

I switch it up a lot. Lately it's Soul Reapin 3 or the Guana Batz.

So do you feel like this interview was worth it?

Yes! It's my favorite I've done.

Give us a blurb about your shop, inspiration,
advice for other Etsy sellers, favorite mantra/lyric/quote,
your fave item in your shop, tell us to fuck off,
whatever you want.

I could say some really "cheesy commercial sounding", something about my shop, and how all the cool girls wear Dismantled Fashions, but I'm bad at that anyway. So I'll just leave you with some of my favorite Cramps lyrics...

"intoxicated til i can't tell what the hell i could see, had all the violence and liquor within close reach, but all bars, pills and threeways lead me back to the beach and... now they say that virtue is it's own reward, but when that surf comes in i'm gunna get my board, got my own ideas about the righteous kick, you can keep the rewards, i'd just as soon stay sick!"

Mike Ness was singing about me.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:41:00 +0000

Remember how I said that if you didn't
hear from me I may have got hit by a truck?

Well nothing that bad happened, but
Geez Louise the universe is definitely
trying to level out all of my giveaway winning.

Over the past week, these are the ridiculous
events that have happened.

1. A friggin' wasp stung the palm of my hand.
Swooped in, stung me, and didn't even have the courtesy
to leave the stinger for bragging rights.
Just left me with a swollen, pulsating hand.

This card from Erica DiPaolo reminds me why I didn't hunt that
bastard down and swat him. I just love any type of
living creature, especially when they are wearing top hats.

2. I stabbed myself in the boob with a pair of
scissors. I, for some unknown reason, always
spin our scissors around gun slinger style
when I take them out of the cup they rest in.
I flipped them around, and apparently misjudged
how far away from my chest they were.

I would much rather rock this tee from Circular Accessories.
It seems much safer than the real thing anywhere near my fun bags.

3. And last but not least, I hung out last night
with a white plastic bucket. A headache hit
me like a freight train, and I spent my night in bed
retching, groaning, and moaning.
The hubs knew it was serious when I couldn't
get out of bed to smoke a cig, or listen to
the soothing sounds of crime and despair from
Law and Order:SVU. In bed at 9:30.

I sure could have used this lady from House of Harriet last night.
I can tell by looking at her she would let me sneak a drag
off her, and make all of the dramatic expressions I needed
to validate my barf. I can just imagine her saying,
"Oh, you poor dear."

Don't forget to swing by tomorrow, as I will be premiering
my first Featured Friday Seller!
We have had lots of interested sellers that are lined up,
but there are 52 Fridays each year, so drop me an email
or convo if you are interested.

Just a warning.
You will be asked to take a photo of yourself,
with certain requirements.
(I am so excited about the new ones I got from the
sellers last night!! Can't wait to show you!)
If you don't have a sense of humor,
and take yourself waaaaaaaaay too seriously,
no need to apply.
See you crazy farts tomorrow!

C'mon baby, let's do The Twist.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:09:00 +0000

We absolutely love when we are surprised
by a twist at the end of a book or movie,
so we figured that we would pass that fabulous
feeling on to you today.

Finally, we are announcing the winner
of the True Love Giveaway....
but with a twist.

We decided the first name we picked
would have their choice of the True
Love mini, OR any other mini in our shop.
It's up to you!

Then we decided, screw it, let's throw
another loop in there.
There were 82 entries, so why not have more than
one winner?
So we drew a second name, and that winner
gets their choice of any print in our
shop!

Without further ado,
here is the picking process,
starring the hubs:

Holy Crap, that is alot of entries!

The ceremonial and quite technical mixing.

Sometimes he just can't help himself.

This is when I wish I had Rod Roddy's voice..(R.I.P.)
And the winner of the mini is......

And our second surprise winner for their choice of one of
our prints is:

Congrats you two!!! We will be emailing you shortly
for your choices and addresses!
Thanks so much to everybody!

Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:48:00 +0000

I am wanting to start to feature a different
artist with some fun interview questions
each friday, so if you are interested,
email me (button to the right) or convo
me at our Etsy shop.

The questions will probably not be the norm
and boring, so if you are brave enough,
come on down!

Since those posts are in the making, I
will share one of my favorite Etsy sellers.
I was fortunate enough to win a giveaway that was
hosted on the oh so fabulous blog, oh, hello friend.

All this winning is making me nervous.

If you haven't heard from me in about a week,
chances are I got macked by a semi, Pet Cemetary
style. I always freak out that something bad is
gonna happen when things are going my way.

Onto the good stuff.

Here is the fabulous necklace I won from Polarity!

Her necklaces are made from recycled auto parts, and
are magnetic lockets that come with 3 different faces!

The locket that I won was a collaboration piece that she did
with Etsy artists Emi and Mark of f2images.

The husband and I would like to contact her about doing such a
project.

Her blog, Olive Bites is amazing and funny, so dance on over there and check it out.

She also has another shop, Uncorked,
where you can find awesome jewelry like this, made from,
you guessed it, cork.

All of them come in little test tubes.
How freakin' cool is that?

And you know how I am gonna "wrap" this up, right?
Yep, a picture of her fabulous packaging.
Why does packaging bring me so much joy?

OH! And totally unrelated..
I have a freakin' twitter now, and have no
idea what I am doing.
My home girl Jess from The Pink Needle had to tell me what "RT" meant.
Totally embarrassing.
Please find me on there, so I can follow you.
My little turd bird is on my sidebar to the right,
or click Here.

Any Twitter advice? Handbook? Bueller?

So far, so GREAT!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:56:00 +0000

I couldn't be happier with my 33rd birthday so
far. Lots of love and lots of fun.

The hubby loves to tease me about presents,
and always pretends the day before that he
has nothing for me.

Here is what I woke up to:

The hubs painted me a mini, it is hard to get one for
myself! hahaha.

I got the vintage sunglasses I was drooling over from
Haleybritt's Shop, Mary Frances Vintage Things!!!! I love them.

She wrapped them in some gorgeous fabric, and had a great postcard
with all of her shop info on it.

We took off for the beach for a couple of days with my
family.
I won't bore with all of the photos,
but here is one of my niece and nephew.
Nora is quite the fashionista in her anchor suit, no?

And here is the hubs and I, before the lobster reckoning
of our paper thin, pale skin.

Right before we left, my fabulous in laws gave me an awesome
gift. They have loaded me up with screen printing supplies
for the next century.
I can't wait to get started!

My home girl Sam, from The Feathered Elephant
made me an awesome card, and gave me this gorgeous piece.
Persistence does pay off my friends, I am pretty sure that
I told her every single day that I would die if I didn't own it.

Moral of the story?
I am surrounded daily by amazing people that love
my ass, in spite of my flaws, and twisted sense of
humor.

How was your weekend?

Lucky, Lucky Girl!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:32:00 +0000

I entered a giveaway and won my choice of any Vintage Button Ring
in Sunshine City Lassie's shop.

Let me tell you, it was hard to choose!

Here is the one I finally settled on:

And here are two others that I was hemming and hawing over!

Go take a look at her shop,
it is filled with vintage goodness,
and some fabulous brooches like this one!

And can I just say how cute it was that she recycles by
printing her promo info on paint color swatch cards?
I loved my shade, it was Spectrum Blue.
Yay for fabulous packaging!

Half of 66. (Love ya, Big John!)

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 02:26:00 +0000

Here I am, rock me like a hurricane.

Who am I kidding?

I am 33 today, rock me like a buffet discount.

I love my mom. Even though I was in the kitchen sink,
she felt it necessary to harness me into some
kind of "no way my baby is drowning" device.

I see myself being more like her as each year
goes by..
I will say though, that if I start referring to
technology like she does, go ahead and pull the plug.

If you are typing on your phone, she will proudly
point out that she can "Tex Mex" too. hahaha.

And this is me (on left) with my oldest, dearest friend,
Miss Emmy Lou. She just had a baby this month, and I just
can't grasp where the time went. I miss you Em, and
I can't wait to give you and that new bundle of joy a big
squeeze.

If you look close at this photo, you will see that Em
was actually so little that her mom had to give her
tan knee-hi's to wear. There wasn't a pair of panty hose
in town that would fit her tiny legs.
See the brown rimmed tops? So freakin' cute.

And yeah, that is a REAL polaroid.

Not a picture that you whipper snappers
created while computing on the world wide
web email business.

Uh oh.

Image found on flickr from dito cujo

Dropping the Bomb! Big News!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:56:00 +0000

Today is the day.

Remember last week when I featured etsy sellers
that rocked out serious tattoo-esque items?

And I said we were sitting on some big news?

Well, here is the scoop, in two parts.

PART 1:

Today is my last day at the tattoo shop.
I am retiring from piercing for a bit,
maybe forever,
to concentrate my efforts towards our artwork
and promoting it.

The husband is still going to be tattooing,
and I am ready to go full throttle down this
crazy highway.

I sure will miss when my clients are so excited and emotional
after I work on them that they ask me for a hug.

On the other hand, I WILL NOT miss the shouting matches
with parents when they find out I refuse to pierce their
10 year old's navel.
(Hello! Why does a 10 year old,
or any girl under 18 for that matter,
need to bring attention to that part of her body?!?!)

So later days, my tattoo dudes..thanks for taking a chance on me,
as the first woman (and Yankee) ever to be hired at your shop.
You have made me a legend. hahaha.

Here is me with the boss and manager about 3 years ago.

PART 2:

Didn't think that was such big news?

Chew on this.

Have you ever noticed that all of the work in our
Etsy shop is my husband's?
Well.....
now I have time to finally put my work up.

Here is a sneak preview...in the next few weeks
you will be able to wear our hand painted designs.

Swallow my heart, baby. The first set of jewelry
designs by Yours Truly. Whatcha think?

Fabulous Project!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:19:00 +0000

The husband and I just sent our diary page
for this really cool project.

Miss Lucy compiles artists submissions
of custom pages for a diary and this is
her third year of doing this.

I can't wait to see our page in there,
and order one for myself.

You can order the diary in two different
sizes, with the cover being blank
so you can decorate it as you please.

You also have the option
of just ordering a disk of it, so you
can take it to the printer and customize
your own cover and size!

Here is the info on her site about the project:

Each page of this diary is designed by a different artist/crafter
from around the world.
To design a page you need to have a web space from where
you sell or promote your art (personal website, personal blog,
Etsy, Flickr, MySpace, DeviantArt, etc.)
Participation is free, it gives you a free publicity,
and you will have a discount on the book if you want one or more.

There is still time to submit, so you should
check it out and participate.

Here are some pages from the 2009 project,
how cool are these?

Here is our page! This year the diary is in three languages!

I know there are some amazing artists that follow this blog,
so click this button below, check it out, and submit!

House of Madness.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate8085) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:46:00 +0000

The husband and I are off from the tattoo shop
on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, so that is our
weekend.

This weekend, we had a BBQ with some of our crew.
Our pal Nathan is in town today,
and our niece and nephew are coming in tomorrow.
Lots of love and laughter up in this piece.

This is a super short post, because I have children
to entertain, and watching me type generally
doesn't do the trick.
Those boogers get antsy.

Here are two fun shots from yesterday.
A bottle cap with my hubby's intitial and
a heart. Aw!

We called our friends to tell them to bring veggie burgers.
This what those jokers brought.
A burger cupcake. How freakin' cute is that?

I have hid mine from the husband, he tends to "forget"
that he ate one already and apologizes profusely
while icing is on his chin. Not cool.

I did some Shrinky Dinks with the kids yesterday,
any other suggestions for fun, fun, fun?